Critical Update: How Agencies Can Get and Keep the Best Talent

The government has long struggled to attract top talent to strengthen its cybersecurity and IT workforce, but Elaine Ho has a few ideas about how to reverse the trend.

As chief of staff at the U.S. Digital Service, Ho oversees hiring, budgeting and all other internal operations for one of the government’s most agile, tech-savvy organizations. When it comes to competing for tech talent, agencies can rarely match the private sector’s salaries and workplace flexibility, but Ho said there’s one area where government consistently beats out the tech industry: mission impact.

Ho joined Nextgov for a bonus episode of Critical Update to talk about different ways agencies can get techies of all ages excited about working in government and how federal organizations can make innovative technologies more accessible to government employees.

By constantly recruiting and building relationships with universities, private companies and the tech community, USDS built a steady pipeline of technologists who have helped modernize outdated processes and bring agencies across government into the 21st century.

As the White House works to address cyber workforce shortages and revamp technology across government, Ho offers tips for agencies looking to get ahead of the curve.

Listen to the full interview below or download the podcast from Apple iTunes or Google Play.